"Dromedarii: Romans on Camels!" Topic

I've just seen these on the A&A website (released about 3 weeks ago – why don't they put anything on TMP?). I've no idea how historically accurate they are or for what army you would use them but they certainly look cool!

link Armoured Camel Riders with Spears (2 figures)

Weren't they attached to legionary cohorts in Egypt? Cohors equitata or something? A fun troop type.

Simon

A few camel riders appear to have been attached to Roman units in the east – but not any legionary units that I can recall, but they may be hidden by a lack of evidence. Some units are designated "dromedarii". Numbers were quite low as I recall, maybe 20 or so attached to a cohorte.

Most likely used for scouting and, again as far as I'm aware, there is no reason to suppose that the camel would be armoured as these figures appear to be. The one record we have of such armoured camels is from Herodian where they are used by the Parthians alongside traditional catafracts.

I suppose you could ask A&A to sell you some of the armoured camles and some of their catafract riders – would probably look good assuming the riders sit OK on the camel model.

Terry Gore's ruleset Ancient Warfare has an entry for "dromedarii" in the Late Roman list. Anyways I've suggested to GB and A&A on a number of occasions over the past few years for these to be sculpted, and so now I'm going to have to order a dozen of them. Does anyone know who sculpted them btw?

Keir

Weren't there Palmyrene camel-mounted caravan guards in one of the WRG lists? Perhaps this is what A&A are doing, it's more their period. Armour sounds improbable, though, for them too.

I'm at work so haven't been able to see the pics.

Simon

WRG lists do indeed include caravan guards – although on what basis they form part of an army is anyone's guess. Part of a tendancy to include things that are exotic/interesting but in reality (probably) had no battlefield role IMO. OK as a way to add colour but they often then have a disproportionate effect.

A&A are planning more Palmyrene forces including Queen Zenobia on a camel it seems..

That's a nice range of figures for an interesting period. Definitely deserves more publicity. Oh, and its own WAB supplement.

Looking at the site, you can buy either armoured or unarmoured camels. They look really nice.

The personality packs look very nicely done, too.

Simon

Garrison likewise do a camel mounted 'princess' as MID3 in the Midianite range, and also do a Parthian cataphract camel. The princess is technically 28mm but the princess – unlike the rest of the Midianite range – is perfectly compatible with the Parthians.

I've got some camels coming my way from A and A. I expect (hope) they'll come this week. It's been a while since I ordered them.

It's hard to find extensive information about the Roman dromedarii. They were used in the east for scouting the desert borders. There is no evidence that they were used as battle forces.

Nevertheless, they have a nasty effect on opposing cavalry in WRG 6th, which I play, so I'll take the six LCm that the Middle Imperial Roman list allows.

Um… I also got some of the armored ones because they're cool and because we don't play competition games and a little creativity outside the lists is OK.

The cameloids came last week. They are very nice. The unarmored ones fit together very well, the armored seem to fit less well, but I haven't cleaned and assembled them yet.

Woever did the DBM lists for pre-Islamic Arabs reckons that the "Parthian" armoured camels were probably supplied by an allied Arab city – I think one is named specifically but I forget which.

I just read this morning in an SOA publication, that there was a "Ala I Ulpia Dromedarium M." in the Roman Army, probably incorporated from the Nabatean (Arabian) Royal army by Trajan. As suggested above, these would have been auxiliaries, and possibly over 700 strong.

Simon

Aloysius – Hatra. Not sure of the basis mind you and, from discussion, neither has RBS so I guess it was a PB thing.